Over a hundred women artistes from the Bengali film industry wrote to the state-run Tele Academy on Tuesday, August 27, demanding safer workplaces amid outrage over the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital.
To name a few well-known names, Roopa Ganguly, Swastika Mukherjee, Paoli Dam, Sohini Sarkar, Sohini Sengupta, Bidipta Chakraborty, Chaitali Dasgupta, Anuradha Ray and Shakuntala Barua and screenwriter Meghatithi Banerjee were among the signatories of the letter, which was also sent to the Eastern India Motion Picture Association and the West Bengal Motion Picture Artistes Forum.
“The people of West Bengal and the entire nation are deeply shocked by the recent torture and murder of a doctor at her workplace – RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata. In the wake of this heinous crime, it is heartening to see the entertainment industry – theatre artists and technicians, musicians, make-up artists, dancers and choreographers, script writers and technicians – taking to the streets in passionate protests,” the letter said.
“However, it is indeed remarkable that some of us are still not standing up against the recurring cases of sexual abuse/harassment/violence in our own workplaces. As women working in the Bengali film, web platform and television industry, we face various forms of sexual abuse on a daily basis and regularly hear about the rampant abuse faced by women, children and people from marginalised communities,” it said.
The letter from the Women’s Forum for Screen Workers says there is no effective support system to prevent, prohibit or address sexual harassment.
The letter pointed to a significant gap in information, access and advocacy regarding Occupational safety, health, favorable working conditionsand social security guaranteed to all workers by labour law.
Towards the end of the letter, it called for the introduction of a strong whistleblowing mechanism to investigate cases where sexual favours are demanded in return for job opportunities. “We know that it is the responsibility of employers in all sectors to ensure the dignity and safety of workers in their workplace. We strongly state that the television, web platform and film industries should be no exception,” it concluded.
Earlier, Bengali actor Ritabhari Chakraborty shared a long note on Facebook on August 27, demanding a comprehensive inquiry into the sexual harassment cases in the Bengali film industry. In the note, she stated that she and many of her colleagues had horrific experiences with influential actors and filmmakers in the industry and that the government should also work towards setting up a body similar to the Hema Committee in the Bengali film industry.
